Gingrich vows to 'endure' challenges

Newt Gingrich returned to the campaign trail Sunday, promising to “endure the challenges” and continue fighting for the Republican nomination.

Gingrich was resolute in his speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Los Angeles, his first appearance since 16 of his top staffers resigned last Thursday.

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“I will carry the message of American renewal to every part of this great land,” Gingrich vowed Sunday. “And with the help of every American who wants to change Washington, we will prevail.”

But most of the speech, planned before last week’s campaign shake-up, offered a scorching critique of Obama’s foreign policy, especially toward Israel and the Middle East.

“We must reverse the Obama administration’s dangerous policies of incoherence and accommodation and implement instead a foreign policy that is clear about the evil that we face,” Gingrich said, as reported by The Associated Press.

He made only a cursory mention of the staff defections and his rocky campaign roll-out, saying “I know full well the rigors of campaigning for public office — in fact, I’ve had some recent reminders.”

Following a tweet from the group’s executive director, early buzz about the speech was that Gingrich would use it to announce pollster Frank Luntz as his new campaign manager. Shortly afterward, Luntz said there was no truth to this, and admitted he had floated the idea himself for the sake of his own publicity.

Following the speech, Gingrich took few questions from reporters and television cameras. Asked if he was a viable candidate, Gingrich responded only “Go ask the voters.”

Gingrich will participate in the CNN debate in New Hampshire Monday night, and will attend the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans Thursday, a major cattle call for candidates that also features a straw poll.